Justice News

Columbia Man Sentenced for Armed Bank Robbery

Carried Infant in the Back Seat of Get-Away Car During High-Speed Chase

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man who robbed a bank and led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase while carrying an infant in the back seat of his get-away car was sentenced in federal court today.

Larome Demetrius Humphrey, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

On July 26, 2018, Humphrey pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

According to court documents, Humphrey and two other men stole $2,588 from Callaway Bank, 5600 Bull Run Dr., Columbia, at gunpoint on April 27, 2017. Humphrey and another man entered the bank with pistols at approximately 1:44 p.m., while a third man waited in the getaway vehicle. They jumped the teller counter, put their pistols to a teller’s head and demanded money. The money was placed in a plastic bag, then they left the bank.

Witnesses saw the thieves run from the bank and get into a 2007 Chevrolet Impala. Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers spotted the vehicle just east of the bank on I-70 in the area of Kingdom City, Mo. A vehicle pursuit ensued with speeds over 100 m.p.h. Troopers deployed stop sticks, and eventually the Impala left the roadway and struck a fence. All three of the thieves fled on foot but were apprehended by law enforcement officers.

When troopers searched the vehicle, they found a 1-year-old child who had been in the back seat of the Impala during the bank robbery and vehicle pursuit. The infant is the son of Humphrey’s girlfriend, who owns the car used in the robbery.

At the time of Humphrey’s arrest, a large sum of cash was discovered concealed in his underwear.

Humphrey has an extensive and violent criminal history, according to court documents. At age 18, Humphrey was convicted of aggravated assault, after he shot an individual during a robbery. At age 19, Humphrey was convicted of two charges of possession of marijuana. In 2011, Humphrey was convicted of felony facilitation of a sale of Alprazolam. In 2012, Humphrey was convicted of possession of marijuana and in 2014 he was convicted of attempted possession of marijuana.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lynn. It was investigated by the Columbia, Mo., Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI.